The second time down to the tomb, Tarn was a changed man.

His long red hair was now tied up into a ponytail that still fell to his mid back level. His sword was bound in new red bindings, a refreshing change after years of minimal maintenance. His butler's cloak and trousers were clean and elegant, with nary a scratch or dirt mark.

Also, he was accompanied by a young white haired girl.

"Tarn, where are we going?" Four year old Clara whined, tugging at the teen's sleeve. "I really want to see Xana's concert! And I've got violin lessons soon!"

"Don't worry, this won't take long Princess," Tarn calmly reassured and the young girl huffed. "I just need to grab something, then we can go see what your sister's been up to!"

"Okay! But you have to promise me that!"

"Of course I promise. Ah, here we are," The swordsman calmly remarked, taking care to make sure that both he and Clara wouldn't slip on the icy surface that now coated the main levels of the tomb. They had brought winter boots for this, but even then, one bad step could result in pain. "Please be careful. It's very slippery, so no running alright?"

The young girl nodded and Tarn smiled. Then his expression morphed into something resembling confusion as he stared at the frozen door. Specifically, the fact that somebody looked to have forced the bottom corner open with a broken gauss rifle. "Stay here. I'll be just a moment."

"Aw, can't I come in as well? I don't wanna get bored!"

"Don't worry, it'll just be a minute. And if you hear somebody coming, make sure that it's me okay?"

"Fine."

With that, Tarn let go of the young girl's hand and ducked under the door, making sure that nobody was waiting behind to ambush him. It appeared safe, and as the red head knight entered the main hall of the tomb, everything seemed to be in place. Then something glinted at him and he grinned wolfishly.

"Hello there. I've missed you!" Tarn muttered as he bent down and grabbed the axe, feeling its weight as he took a few swings with the thing. It felt so light! But he knew, the moment his hand left that handle, the axe would suddenly weigh as much as a brick and would be hurtling at dangerous speeds.

The knight proceeded to strap the axe to his back, where it thankfully still weighed almost nothing. He turned to examine himself in the iced walls, using the thick layer of frozen water to act as a reflection. Tarn chuckled at how differently he looked now compared to a few years ago.

A sudden glint in the reflection alerted Tarn the moment before the large and thick sword swung. With an elegant and timed roll backwards, he nimbly dodged the awkward blow and was back on his feet behind his surprise attacker. With a swish flick, the thin and long blade slide and lashed out of its sheath, aimed precisely for the side of his enemy. However, the sword bounced off something metallic and sparks fly as the two fighters back off, eyeing each other and readying their weaponry.

He was barely younger than Tarn, but was definitely a good half a head shorter. Messy blue hair covered his determination filled blue eyes as he held up his choice of probably stolen weaponry: a large and thick sword with no cross guard, and a large black metal diamond shield. Tarn could already spot that his arms were trembling while holding this heavy load out and realized that this wasn't something he was normally fighting with. The knight had the advantage!

The axe was shrugged off from his back and into his free hand as Tarn hefted it while swishing his sword round. Then, without any warning or indication, he threw the axe one handed, feeling the weapon grow heavy automatically as it began to leave his palm and fly towards the thief.

His opponent yelped in surprise and raised the black diamond shaped shield in a rough attempt to soften the blow. There was no way he could actually block the full impact, the gravity axe (as Tarn would later transcribe) was a weapon capable of shattering through metal and bone with the same ease. Tarn knew this and was sure of a quick victory.

Then the shield activated. Green power lines appeared on the face of the defensive tool, projecting some kind of force field that pushed the axe back and sent it right back to Tarn. The teen swiftly sidestepped upon realizing his newest weapon's malfunction and the axe barely missed his cheek. "What the-?"

His mutterings distracted Tarn and he gasped as the large blade swung and made contact with his side. An ominous cracking noise was heard as the knight rolled to dodge the second blow, one that would've brained him. Tarn winced as he moved, feeling his sides throbbing in pain. Broken rib.

However, it was very clear that he could outduel this thief in swordsmanship just from blade choice alone. While that thick sword would definitely break bones and cause massive blunt force trauma, it was unwieldy and could almost be considered a club remade into a thinner shape. Tarn's blade, of course, was the superior choice.

And it became very apparent as the two fought. Ignoring the pain, Tarn dashed in between just as his opponent's shield was positioned the wrong way, getting between the sword and shield and slashing downwards. From the angle, the thief had no chance of raising his shield in time and was forced to awkwardly use his own sword to catch the thinner blade.

Then with a flick impossible to follow with the thicker weapon, the red head teen ran his blade along the edge and got in between the back of the larger sword and the actual thief. Now all he had to do was swing sideways and his foe's head would go flying-

Something slammed into his already injured side and sent Tarn staggering as his broken rib protested. This was more than enough to give his opponent the chance he needed and a shield was slammed into Tarn's chest, sending him flying backwards. The knight landed with a cry as he felt his spine protest at crashing against the frozen floor, but at the same time, his eyes lit up at the sight of his gravity axe nearby and Tarn immediately snatched it backup before standing back up.

There was a newcomer to the fight, a girl that looked to be the same age as the boy. She too had messy and moss green hair, but with green eyes that betrayed a level of intelligence that really could not belong to a thief. But she was and must be one, as she was carrying an odd looking staff that the girl looked to have no idea using as she leveled it at Tarn. "You…You…" She stuttered. "Leave us alone!"

"I'm afraid that I can't. You are trespassing on royal territory." And with that, he threw his axe again, this time at the girl. Not surprisingly, the boy stepped in front of the axe and raised his shield, having learned about his weapon's ability now. The weapon bounced off and went back to Tarn at full speed, who just tilted his head to allow the axe to crash into the wall behind him. The unique weapon bounced on the floor and the knight picked it back up. "I see that you are indeed resisting; that'll make it very much easier to not feel guilt at striking you two down."

"Leave her alone!" The shield man snarled before gesturing to his companion with his head. "Go! I'll delay him!"

"I…I'll fight!" The girl cried out before flipping her staff around and leveling the bottom end at Tarn. It oddly looked like a- the knight's eyes widened and he quickly dashed, body close to the ground as he heard the gauss shot go off. The green blast of energy sailed over him, and Tarn took the opportunity to get around the boy and slash at the girl. She was the bigger threat!

She shrieked and fell back, cringing as Tarn swung. Suddenly, out of nowhere, something caught the knight's blade and stopped its path of destruction. But there was nothing there! The mystery was solved upon seeing the girl suddenly raise her staff and touched the thin blade with the top of her staff, a crescent moon top. Time acceleration, the act of doing something after it had been done. It would seem that either this girl was special, or this was the staff's doing.

However, she forgot that Tarn had his gravity axe, and he swung it so as to catch the staff by the handle and yanked downwards. At the same time, the red head teen broke his sword out of the staff's grasp and placed it against his back, catching the thick blade without looking just as it was about to strike his spine horizontally. With a spin, he pulled on the axe and twirled, pushing his opponent's blade as his other foe's weapon clattered to the floor.

Without any pause to give the shieldman time to recover, Tarn pressed a counterattack and baraged the shield with both his weapons, making the boy holding it give ground until his back hit the wall. From there, it was almost child's play for Tarn to do a low sweep, knocking his foe downwards and kicking the sword away. The shield was raised in a self-defense attempt, but it was useless as the red head hooked his axe around the rim and pulled it away, pressing a knee to the raggedly dressed chest area. At the same time, his sword swung upwards before halting at the girl's neck.

The Royal Knight was the victor. "Now, what will I do with you two?" He mused darkly, pressing the sword's edge against the girl's throat. "You're obviously tomb robbers or thieves that happen to have stumbled on this goldmine of a stash. Either way, I do believe that capital punishment is called for."

"Ack! Let her go, I'll take full responsibility!" The boy shouted, struggling furiously only to freeze as Tarn's gravity axe was leaned against his throat. "I...I'm not afraid of you! Just let her go and I'll come quietly!"

"Why would I do that though? I have you both captured and can easily see you to the gallows. Very little can save you from your crime now."

"And one of those little things just appeared," Alexis' young but trained voice echoed and the three turned to see the Princess of Terrazine enter the main hall. "Tarn, I command you to let them go."

A moment hesitation, then the knight did as he was told and stood up, taking the blade off the girl's throat and sheathing it. "As you say my lady. But I do warn you, they are criminals guilty of the highest count-"

"I understand that," The toddler interrupted, her eyes giving Tarn shivers down his spine. The young Clara acted innocent, but truthfully, by now...Tarn now bore multiple scars from all the assassination attempts from her own father. She was definately anything but inexeperienced in the horrors of the world. "But I do believe that a fair trial and apprenhension is in order before executing the sentence. Correct?"

"It is as you say. You two." The two robbers were now slowly getting back together, picking up their fallen weapons. "Give us a good reason why you're here."

"As if we need to answer to you," The boy spat, moving to brandish his thick sword before freezing as his companion placed a small hand on his shoulder. The two looked at each other before the shieldman sighed and lowered his weapons, resting them against the floor as the girl cleared her throat awkwardly.

"We...um...we didn't mean to...um...break into the tomb," She stuttered, clutching her staff closer to her body. "I...I would like to apologize for...for attacking you so. And he does to...right?"

"Whatever you say," He grumbled, obviously not liking the peaceful outcome but not making any agressive moves. "Just know that I'll support you."

"We...we needed food, so we came here...here in hopes of making off with some," The girl mumbled, kicking her feet back and forth in a shy manner. "I accidentally cut myself falling above, and some...doorway appeared. We went down and found these and..."

"I see. In that case, you are indeed thieves, looking to get some food," Clara reasoned and the girl nervously nodded. The young princess stepped closer and closer to the staff-wielder, getting straight up in her face as Tarn and the other thief looked on curiously. "Well then! Here's my judgement!

"Tarn, go prepare a feast! These are my guests, and I would like to pardon them of breaking and entering!"

"It will be what you say." The swordsman bowed, his loyalty taking over personal feelings about the affair. "Should I invite your siblings as well?"

"Sure! So, you want food? Let's go grab some!" The white haired girl eagelry shouted, startling the two as they looked incredoulously at the submissive swordsman and the overexcited princess. "Oh, that's right! What are your names?"

"Um...I'm...I'm...Alicia! And this is Horace!"

O O O

"My, my, it seems that you are already getting into the habit of picking up strays!" Zeb teasefully remarked as he watched the the blue and green haired thieves dig hungrily into their food. The white haired prince placed his head on his hands as he examined their faces, their bodies, their hands, looking for any clues as to who exactly they were. "I would formally advise against doing this often though; it'll be a bad habit to have."

"But they were hungry Zeb!" Clara protested, gripping the armrest of her chair in a very agressive manner...had it not been for the sight of Tarn cutting her food. "I mean, they were starving! How can we let our people starve when we have all this food?"

"Because our oh so gracious King has decreed a massive tax on the farmlands," A white haired teenage Xana sardonically explained, kicking up her legs and placing her hunting boots on the table with little regard as to proper form. They were all friends here; what was the point?

Tarn took a quick glance upwards from his task at the other princess. Ever since that one fateful night, the girl's hair had turned from that ebony black to this pale white pallette that matched her siblings. A side effect of the cure, Zeb had explained. And it would appear that the meek and weak princess that was young Xana was gone. Now, in its place was a hardened and critical hunter, loyal to both her siblings.

"I don't agree with what Father is doing either," Zeb threw in, shaking his head. "He isn't understanding that our kingdom's crops aren't doing particularly well this year, and is just robbing farmers of what little they have. It's...just not right! And this is a pattern that has followed ever since Mother died!"

"It creates them, as children are always the first to suffer." Xana jerked her head to the two eaters of the feast. "Miscreants. Outcasts. Orphans. Suffering because our Father can't get through his thick crown that you need the people to survive to actually have a goddamn kingdom!"

"Watch your tounge princess!" Now a black haired boy had stood up from his seat next to Zeb, his face purple with anger as he spat at the white haired girl (who just flipped him off in response.) "Our king is a wise and true ruler! If he believes that the status quo is to be maintained, then we should simply-"

"Tyler, enough!" Zeb snapped and the servant stopped, bowing immediately to the prince. "Leave us."

"As you wish sir!" The boy eagerly responded, leaving with so much gusto that he knocked his chair over without even realizing. Tarn sighed as he finished cutting up Clara's food into bite-size pieces for the toddler and began to take some of the food himself. Tyler was the king's gift to Zeb, a servant completely obedient in everything...but ultimately loyal to the king's ideals. A dangerous combination that Tarn knew could bite them one day.

"Well then, you should at least offer our guests a few nights stay," Zeb proposed and his younger sister nodded, turning to her two new friends with a pleading look in her eyes. "Oh dear, they can't refuse now!" He joked.

"Guys, please?"

Again, the two looked at each other. Tarn's eyes flicked to the side as he made note of how intensive they stared into each other's eyes. What bond did these two share...? It was like that of a sibling, but, it wasn't that in a way...

Finally, they broke eye contact and Horace spoke."Well, I think that it would be quite rude to refuse. If you don't mind...?"

"Of course not! Tarn?"

"As you wish," The swordsman replied, not a hint of complaint in his voice as he left his untouched platter. "If you don't mind, may I take those weapons and store them in the armory? I assure you, no harm will come to them, and it is unlikely you have a direct need."

O O O

"Let's see...where was that weapon's guide...?" Tarn muttered as he shifted through his collection of books in his room, guided only by torchlight as he went through the many volumes he had borrowed from the library. It had taken a few days, but now, he himself was certain about what exactly those weapons the two thieves had picked up. All he needed now was confirmation- "Aha!"

With a cloud of dust billowing out, the red head flipped the said book open and muttered to himself, eyes darting as page after page was turned in search. Eventually, he grinned as he found an exact illustration of the staff that Alicia was wielding, and slowly translated the runes.

Shotstaff of Time

A weapon made to distort the timeline around the user in battle, enabling them to strike seconds before reality catches up. A foe will often lose their head or miss their swing without even realizing it till a few seconds later when reality resumes. Additionally has a built in gauss rifle.

"Pretty goddamn powerful," The knight remembered, the surprise shot nearly taking off his face. "Now, let's see...sword and shield, sword and shield...ah!"

Distortion Shield

The main weapon of a bodyguard. Made to defelct and reflect all projectiles, be they fired or thrown, so as to better protect from assassins. Warning: incredibly heavy.

Hyperphose Sword

The secondary weapon of a bodyguard. Made to stun and break bones of an enemy. Hardly lethal, but if done correctly, capable of capturing assassins alive for interrogation. Warning: incredibly heavy.

"Horace is hiding a lot more than he looks. He has to be really strong if he is able to wield such heavy weapons with ease. I wonder, with a bit of training, how far can he and Alicia go?" Tarn pondered, placing the book back and sitting back in his chair as he mused. "Perhaps I should offer them a place in the army? Perhaps the Royal Guards? Those two...it's only been a few days, but I can already see themselves dedicating their lives to Clara.

"Of course though, it poses a danger if they decide to reject my offer of servitude. They have powerful weaponry that I must confiscate, by force if need be. Tricky, tricky, this affair is." With a sigh, the red headed teen took his lantern and opened his door, moving to hang it next to his room to give people at least a little light in the night. As he did so, a rather familiar swish was heard as his ears pricked upwards in recognition.

Immediately, Tarn's free hand dropped to his sword hilt and, using that same hand, took out the blade with a flick of the wrist. "I can hear you!" He shouted, tossing the lantern high up in the hallway. It flew through the air gracelessly, but that was all Tarn needed to spot his black clothed assassin lunging towards him!

With a quick sidestep and swing, the long and thin blade sparked against the assassin's blade, providing another brief flash of light as the Royal Knight memorized his opponent's position before swinging again, this time in utter darkness. There was a cry of pain which was promptly choked off with a gargle as Tarn calmly withdrew and sheathed his weapon, allowing his mortally wounded enemy to fall to the ground.

After checking the corpse to ensure that there wasn't any dangerous item left on the body, Tarn rushed over to the Royal Family's bedroom wing, knowing that an attack on him was most likely part of a coordinated effort to kill the children of the King. As to who sent them...they were either the King's men, the King himself, the revolutionaries, enemy kingdoms...the list was endless as Tarn bitterly recalled how many he had already killed in front of a shocked princess. Such acts had eventually desensetize her, but at what cost? Her innocence?

Shaking off these thoughts, Tarn found the door to Clara's room and immediately opened it, with little regard given to what could be inside as he drew his blade. A bright flare of light reflected from the corridor's torch onto his blade, casting a brief flash over the sleeping toddler's face and her eyes snapped open. "Tarn," She merely stated, not even bothered by the late night intrusion as her own line of reasoning kicked in. "Guard the door. Allow me to get dressed."

"Of course." The teen respectfully turned away, leaving the door open but not looking inside as he repeatedly scanned either side of the marble corridor, ears alert as to any possible footsteps. There was one such case incoming from his right side, and the knight prepared his blade, only to lower it as a familiar figure emerged from the shadows. "Zeb. Are you aware?"

"It was such a nice night as well. I was teaching Xana how to pretend to drink when they appeared." The prince sighed, shaking his head at the wasted teaching lesson. "Xana is moving to guard the front of the palace from any more attacks. I'm off to rally the guard."

"Good luck to you then. See you at dawn"

"Be careful my friend. I think that more than usual have inflitrated today. Take care of Clara." With that, the white haired swordsman disappeared back into the shadows on the opposite side. Tarn waited a few more minutes before asking his question.

"My lady, are you decent?"

"I am now. You may turn around." The princess was now in her custom-made battle outfit, a black dress with white scarves dangling from her neck, as well as black sleeves that were disjointed at the shoulder. She held a wooden training staff in her hands. "What's the plan?"

"Simple: stay here, and stay out of danger." Tarn glanced backwards. "I'll stay outside. Close and lock it after me, do NOT, under any circumstance, open it unless you hear our codeword. You do remember what it is right?"

"Of course."

"Good. Now, just relax my lady; everything will be over before you know it." With that, the red head man stepped outside and the wooden door to the princess' room was closed, with a metal clack to indicate the lock. "Now, what to do to pass the time...?" He mused.

That wasn't necessary though, for as predicted, more assassins did show up. They immediately snuffed out the flames of the corridor's lone torch, darkening the environment and leaving Tarn theorectically blind. But the Royal Knight grinned, taking out his axe from his back and focusing. Power surged into the weapon, and the curved blade lit up with a green glow, illuminating the horrified assassins. "Ah, there we go. Let me teach you a lesson about trying to kill my mistress now, shall we?"

O O O

"The night survived, the assassins dealt with, and everybody made it through," Tarn listed with a rather satisfied tone. "A perfect defense my lady."

"Are you sure everybody made it through? What about Horace and Alicia, where are they?" Clara worriedly asked. "I mean, they're not anywhere when we searched their rooms this morning! I'm really worried about them!"

"Well, the weapons that the two used are also missing from the armory," The knight mused. "It is entirely possible that-"

"Hey, get ya hands off me!" A man in assassin's clothing spat at the guards dragging him along, trying to wrestle his way free but to no avail. "I swear to ye gods that if you don't let me go-!"

"Tarn. Clara. I've been looking for you two." Zeb appeared in front of the two and nodded to each of them. There were a few blood smears on his black cloak, but nothing that indicated a critical wound of sorts. "Have you see our new prisoner?"

"Just did. How did we capture him though? I thought that all assassins would prefer death over giving away information inadverdently," Tarn remarked and the white haired prince nodded in confirmation. "So who captured him, and how?"

"Your friends. Where are they?" Zeb turned and asked Clara, who shrugged in response.

"Nowhere, it would seem. There's not even a trace that they were even here!"

"Perfect. The secret of their existence is indeed hidden from father then, Tyler doesn't consider them worthy tidbits." He reached into his robes and pulled out a small wrinkled white enveloped, addressed to Clara. "To explain...I did run into them last night."

"What?"

"They were very thankful of your generosity, but they felt that they needed to do something. That young man, Horace, then pointed me to a gift for the family of Terrazine; the head of the assassins, knocked unconcious by his blade," Zeb elaborated. "They requested that, if you truly still did wanted to be friends with them...you should read the letter."

"...thank you brother." Clara slowly reached up and took the said parchment, unfolding it and squinting as she tried to make out the words. Tarn blinked then chuckled upon realizing that the young girl was still struggling to become fully literate and plucked the paper from her hands, reading out loud.

To: Princess Clara of Terrazine (and her Royal Knight Tarn I guess)

Thank you for...everything. You're the first friend that we've made in a while, and we're more than happy to stand by you as you grow up, in hopes that you would accept us into your retinue as loyal warriors. when time comes However...we feel that we do not qualify for such a role yet. Tarn has shown to us how much we have to learn, and we will seek out this experience.

There are rumors of wars in the lands to the east, that go on forever without end. We shall travel there, and there, seek out to make both experience and gold as mercenaries. Don't worry, we'll keep safe! Afterwards, we shall return to Terrazine, and await your judgement.

Alicia and Horace

"Hm. They didn't even bother to leave a deposit fee on the weapons," Tarn sarcastically remarked, looking up from the letter. "Well...I guess this does save me the trouble of organizing a 'prison break.'"

"Aye, it does," The princess whispered, her eyes moisting over upon realizing that she was indeed loved by others. "I...I hope that we will see them again one day!"

"If that is your wish, my lady, then I am sure that it will come true."

O O O

"Horace...I'm...I'm..."

"Don't worry Alicia," The blue haired boy reassured, hugging the green haired girl. "I'll make sure we find good company...there has to be at least a few good people..."

"But...I...I miss Clara already."

"So do I. So do I."

"Hey, you kids looking for some business?" A spiky haired teen peered down at the two teens in the boat's corner, the boat set to sail for the mystical island of Hanar. "You're a bit young, but those weapons look fancy enough. That is, if you want in."

"Want in on what?"

"Forming a mercenary band of course! Name's Jack: what's yours?"

O O O

"So this is where Zeb got his sparkly sword from," Xana commented, eyes wondering all around the tomb while her hand remained firm on her hunter's knife. "Was the ice here before or after the incident?"

"Zeb froze the entire room over to prevent anymore robots from awakening and killing us," Tarn grimly explained, pointing to the frozen control panel. "That thing specifically is not to be messed with. I read up more on how it worked, and it's pretty nasty what it summons."

"Can you make these robots fight for us in theory?" The elder princess casually asked, but the red head man could easily see how she wanted these available for an emergency army. "I mean, from what Zeb and you told us, this could potentially turn a war around!"

"Yes, but the risk is pretty big. For one, to say that these robots are simple automations is a massive mistake."

"Huh?"

"Don't you see sis? It's related back to the old Terrazine Empire, the one that supposedly stretched across stars," A young teenage Clara explained, her eyes brimming with fascination and knowledge. Tarn, now an adult in his own right, could only smile at how excited she was getting about seeing this ancient site first hand. It was no real surprise though, after all those years ago she expressed interest in Tarn's work with old texts and wanted to learn about this marvelous- and mighty- kingdom that once was Terrazine. "Back then, they practiced some form of black magic."

"Black magic? I'm not very supersitious, but I don't like the sound of that..." The white haired woman grimaced. "I may have just changed my mind-"

"It was some kind of necromacy from what we can glean," The other white haired princess plowed on, not even minding at her sister's new hesistation to use this army. "Basically, they figured out how to trap the soul after it leaves the body, and insert it into an inert body for future usage. It gives the robots some form of actual rational and human-like thinking, making them even better warriors!"

"I should add in the fact that, according to the translations, majority of these damned human souls come directly from the Terrazine population itself, specifically those opposed to this project," Tarn added, not wanting to leave out any detail in Clara's explanation. "That way, they became very efficient with all their resources."

"If you will not serve us in this life, then you will do so in the next," Xana grimly muttered, understanding the reasoning. "Okay, I don't like that idea anymore."

"A wise choice, and Zeb thought so as well. Now, let's get to why we're actually here-"

"A weapon!" Clara chimed up, holding up her worn and now small quarterstaff. "I need an actual weapon, and I want it from the old Terrazine! Like Tarn and Horace and Alicia!"

The elder sister blinked, then slowly nodded before turning to Tarn. "Ah, and you wanted me down here because...?"

"I thought that you could help her choose something...logical," The Royal Knight admitted and Xana sighed.

"Alright, where's the pile of sharp pointy sticks?"

"Over here." Tarn moved to the makeshift weapon shrine and began shifting through the pile of sharp metal. Xana made her way next to him and began looking through as well, leaving Clara out of the picture.

However, that was not to say that the young lady did nothing. She wandered around the room, absorbing everything that Clara deemed to be fascinating. There was nothing that could escape her inqusitive eye in this tomb. And that included the main coffin in the opposite end of the weapon shrine.

Without letting Tarn or Xana notice, she fluttered over to the sacrphogus and peered around the open casket. It was hard to look through the thick layer of ice that coated everything, but Clara was able to make out the fallen body of what looked to be a lord of the robots or something judging from his outfit. A few memories popped up, and she recalled her brother once describing a terrifying and powerful officer among the awakened. This must be him.

But what really got her attention was the staff that laid besides the fallen robot. It looked to be somethin similar to that of a priest's staff or close to it, with a standard pole base but branching out in the top to become a bladed weapon with a green jewel in the center. It was mirrored on the other side but on a smaller scale and without the jewel.

And it was calling to Clara. As she moved her hand to lay over the icy floor, whispers began to gather in her mind, hints of the future, tales of the past, orders of sacrifice, revolutions of power, the story of the old Terrazine. Clara breathed it all in, accepting them unconditionally as she embraced her heritage. They all felt welcomed, as if taking a breath of fresh air after an eternity underwater, a relief that she didn't even know existed. This...this power!

Then the ice cracked. Over in the opposite end of the tomb, both weapon searchers flinched at the deafening sound. Tarn was the first to turn around, eyes wide as he swiftly drew out his sword. "Get back Clara!" He shouted, lunging at her, but it was too late as the frozen water exploded, spraying shards everywhere. It was very lucky that nobody was harmed, and that it was only a small portion of the floor.

Hovering in the air in front of Clara was the Staff of Oracles, a weapon meant for those who were right in their cause. It hummed with energy as the teenage girl slowly grasped the handle with both hands, feeling its weight and power contained within with a few swings. Then, with a sudden swing, Princess Clara raised the staff and lightning arced out from the crystal, striking the ground around her in a very flashy fashion. "I'll take this!" She cheerfully announced.